Domino’s restaurants hit with number of violations in latest SLO County health inspections

One restaurant had sink woes, another didn’t have hot water and several chain pizza restaurants were keeping their sauce at room temperature — while using latex gloves.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in June during dozens of surprise visits to eating and drinking establishments.

Many food and beverage sellers passed with flying colors, while others needed to make serious improvements.

Every month, The Tribune prints the lowest- and highest-ranked eateries to give diners more information about the places where they buy food and drinks.

Inspectors visit restaurants, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores, mini-marts and more on a monthly basis. Businesses start with a score of 100 during each inspection, and then violations found during the visit will reduce that score depending on the severity.

To check out the safety and cleanliness of your favorite restaurants around the county, visit www.EatSafeSLO.org and use the interactive map to view full inspection reports.

Here are the highs and lows of the 162 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in June.

4 SLO County pizza restaurants lose points for latex gloves, incorrectly stored sauces

Notably last month, four San Luis Obispo County Domino’s Pizza locations lost more than a dozen points each for nearly identical violations spanning from using latex gloves to keeping pizza sauce and garlic Parmesan spread on the counter rather than refrigerated.

The scores by location were:

• 2084 9th St., Los Osos: 84
• 129 S. Frontage Road, Nipomo: 84.5
• 2138 Spring St., Paso Robles: 85
• 1231 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande: 87

All four pizza shops lost points for having workers without valid food safety certifications and for not posting their 2024 health permits in a conspicuous place, while the Los Osos, Nipomo and Paso Robles spots lost points for not having sanitizer solution set up in the meat department during food preparation.

The Los Osos location, which lost the most points, had an additional violation for debris being observed on an air-conditioning unit and for clean linens being stored on the floor of the office.

All together, the volume of violations led the four restaurants to being among the lowest rated during June inspections, with Los Osos, Nipomo, Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande coming in third, fourth, fifth and ninth from the bottom, respectively.

Other lowest-rated restaurants

Rancho Viejo, 505 Orchard Road, Nipomo

Points lost: 19

Notes: The Nipomo restaurant was ordered to be rechecked after an inspector observed a number of violations during a surprise visit in June, including several repeat violations. According to the inspection report, one of the restaurant’s fridges was running at 50 degrees — nine degrees warmer than the maximum allowed temperature of 41 degrees. Food within the unit was recorded at 47 degrees and was voluntarily discarded by staff, according to the notes. The inspector also observed workers using “large, deep buckets” to cool food items, no sanitizer solution set up during food preparation, grime in the soda nozzles and onions being kept in the buckets on the floor of the kitchen. The restaurant was also reminded it needed at least one manager with a food manager safety certification and all other employees must have food handler cards. Because of the violations found, Rancho Viejo was ordered to fix all violations prior to a reinspection or it could face fees.

Emporio Alle-Pia, 8390 El Camino Real, Atascadero

Points lost: 16

Notes: During its routine inspection last month, workers at the Atascadero meat shop were seen using a two-compartment sink to wash their hands “as there is no hand wash sink located at the facility.” The shop was ordered to install a hand wash sink and ensure a pump soap dispenser and single-service paper towel dispenser were on hand as well. The business’ sink woes didn’t enter there, however, since due to the lack of a three-compartment sink for sanitizing of utensils and equipment, the business was not approved for food processing — such as slicing or prepackaging bulk foods. It was ordered to stop slicing meats and cheeses on site until that could be remedied. Those were also two repeat violations, meaning the business lost extra points from its score for them. The meat shop was also observed to be using a household refrigerator and freezer, as well as a household stove without a hood system. It was ordered to replace those with commercial-grade and approved systems.

Last Chance Liquors, 320 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 14.5

Notes: During its routine inspection in June, the hot water at Last Chance Liquors was turned off due to repairs, resulting in a two-point deduction from the business’ final score. According to inspection notes, the manager indicated he would complete the repairs after hours and employees were instructed to rewash their hands at the sandwich station. Other violations included the use of latex gloves, no sanitizer solution on hand during food prep and romaine lettuce being kept in an uncovered bowl in a walk-in refrigeration unit. The inspector also noted there was grime in the floor sink underneath the mop sink and front doors were kept propped open at the business.

Yamato Japanese Restaurant, 1741 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Points lost: 14.5

Notes: Yamato Japanese Restaurant was one of only three restaurants to be ordered to be reinspected in June after significant violations were found during their initial check-ins. According to inspection notes, the dish machine at the Grover Beach restaurant was not correctly dispensing chlorine sanitizer and there was debris buildup on equipment throughout the facility. The restaurant also lost points for not following its approved plan for handling sushi rice — a violation that had been noted on several prior inspections going back to 2016, according to inspection notes. The inspector warned the “violation needs to be corrected immediately or facility will no longer be permitted to hold sushi rice at room temperature.”

These businesses also lost 10 or more points due to violations.

• Ralphs Grocery #271, 1240 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos

• Dan’s Grub Shack, 4240 El Camino Real, Atascadero

• The Market Express, 1051 S. 13th St., Grover Beach

• 7-Eleven Inc., Store #16777, 701 S. Elm St., Arroyo Grande

• Kuma, 2011 10th St., Los Osos

• Harvest Health Foods, 6985 San Luis Ave., Atascadero

• Rer Oil Inc. (AKA Mobil gas station), 525 Traffic Way, Arroyo Grande

• Mountain Mike’s Pizza, 9006 W. Front St., Atascadero

• Baywood Market, 1297 2nd St., Los Osos

• The Neighborhood Cafe and Juice Bar, 811 13th St., Paso Robles

Highest-rated restaurants

These stores and restaurants received scores of 99 to 100, with few to no violations.

San Luis Obispo

• BevMo!, 1502 Froom Ranch Road

• Burrito Wagon Commissary, 285 Prado Road #C

• Dave’s Hot Chicken, 299 B Madonna Road
  
  
• Hobby Lobby Stores #935R, 313 Madonna Road Suite C

• Home Goods, 1520 Froom Ranch Road

• Kikka Sushi at Whole Foods San Luis Obispo, 1531 Froom Ranch Way

• Kiko Restaurant, 746 Higuera St. Suite 4 & 6

• Michael’s Store #5140, 273 Madonna Road Suite B

• Panda Express #1339, 1508 Froom Ranch Way

• Recreational Equipment Inc., 313 Madonna Road Suite B

• Sequel Tea, 3845 S. Higuera Suite 100
• Staples The Office Superstore #361, 2950 Broad St.
• Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort, 1215 Avila Beach Drive

• Tacos Y Birria Sinaloa, 1131 S Broad St.

• TJ Maxx #1154, 1541 Froom Ranch Road

• Todo Bueno The All Good Grill, 3845 S Higuera St. #220

North Coast

• Ace Sushi at Albertsons, 730 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
  
  

• Albertsons #1345, 730 Quintana Road, Morro Bay

• Aramark-Hearst, Highway 1, San Simeon

• Bayside Care Center, 1405 Teresa Drive, Morro Bay

• Black Hand Cellars, 766 Main St. Suite B & C, Cambria

• Carousel Taffy, 845 Embarcadero Suite #A, Morro Bay

• Cavalier Inn, 9415 Hearst Drive, San Simeon

• Chowa Bowl, 898 Main St. Suite D, Morro Bay

• Dollar Tree #8847, 1066 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos

• Grocery Outlet, 1130 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos

• Hearst Ranch Winery, 442 San Simeon Road, San Simeon

• The Hidden Kitchen, 2164 Center St., Cambria

• Hungry Fisherman, 399 Beach St., Morro Bay

• McDonald’s #15090, 780 Quintana Road, Morro Bay

• Mezzo Italiano, 1622 Main St., Cambria

• Mimi’s B&B on the Sea, 2649 Ocean Blvd., Cayucos

• Ragged Point Inn, 19019 Highway 1, Ragged Point

• Rancho Olivos, 699 Embarcadero #4, Morro Bay

• The Savory Palette, LLC, 601 Embarcadero Suite 5, Morro Bay

• Three Stacks & A Rock Brewing Company, 595 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

South County

• The Break, 841 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach

• Canteen of Coastal California, 921 S 4th St., Grover Beach
  
  

• Hot Shots, 250 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach

• Mama’s Preserves, 1358 Deer Canyon Road, Arroyo Grande

• Okui Strawberry N Fruit Stand, 1234 Highland Way, Grover Beach

• Taqueria El Guero, 711 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach

North County

• Amstrdm, 725 13th St., Paso Robles

• Ancient Peaks, 22720 El Camino, Santa Margarita

• Camp Natoma, 617 Cypress Mountain Drive, Paso Robles

• Charles Paddock Zoo, 9305 Pismo Ave., Atascadero

• Grocery Outlet of Paso Robles, 2800 Riverside Ave. Suite 102, Paso Robles

• Holiday Inn Express, 2455 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles
  
  
• In Bloom, 1845 Spring St., Paso Robles

• In-N-Out Burgers #98, 6000 San Anselmo Road, Atascadero

• Just Baked, 725 12th St., Paso Robles

• Lebber’s Salisbury, 1803 Spring St., Paso Robles

• Malibu Brew Coffee, 5955 East Mall, Atascadero

• Margarita Plaza Liquor, 22350 G St., Santa Margarita

• Paso Robles RV Ranch, 398 Exline Road, Paso Robles

• The Porch, 22322 El Camino Real, Santa Margarita

• Riboli Family Winery, 2017 Wisteria Lane, Paso Robles

• Santa Margarita Lake Campground, 4765 Santa Margarita Lake Road, Santa Margarita

• Seniors Center, 270 Scott St., Paso Robles

• Slow/Rush, 915 13th St., Paso Robles

• Stein’s BBQ & Catering #45268H1, 2917 Union Road Suite G, Paso Robles

This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM.